How Air Conditioning Works in a Large Commercial Building

When temperatures rise outside, your HVAC system keeps your customers and employees cool and comfortable. But have you ever wondered how this complex system actually works? If so, check out this overview from Custom Aire. With 50 years of experience in commercial HVAC installation and service, they’ll explain how commercial air conditioning transforms hot, humid air to keep Pennsylvania’s summer weather at bay.

Inside Commercial Air Conditioning

Your HVAC unit’s air conditioning function pushes warm air out by using refrigerant. In older units, Freon was commonly used, although this refrigerant was banned from the manufacture of new HVAC equipment in January 2010. Other options include R-410A or air- and water-cooled systems. Whatever the source, the refrigerant can change states between gas and liquid in order to bring cold air into a space and pump warm air out in a continuous cycle. Understanding air conditioning thus begins by following the refrigerant’s journey throughout the HVAC system’s different components.

The first step is to remove the warm air from the space, so the liquid refrigerant moves through an evaporator coil. This turns the refrigerant into a gas that can remove heat from the air, replacing it with cooler air. The extracted warm air is then absorbed by the evaporator coil.

From here, the refrigerant travels to the compressor, which increases the pressure and temperature of the gas refrigerant before flowing into the condenser. The condenser turns the hot refrigerant gas into a liquid as the condenser coil pushes the warm indoor air to the outside. The liquid refrigerant then starts its journey all over again.

What Happens Next?

Fans also play an important role in the performance of commercial air conditioning, aiding in the release of cold or warm air from the evaporator and condenser coils. The outside fan blows the warm air off the condenser coil, eliminating it from your facility. Likewise, an indoor fan blows cooled air off the evaporator coil. This fan completes the air conditioning process, helping to distribute cool, refreshing air throughout your place of business.

Commercial Air Conditioning Experts in Bensalem, PA

Due to their complexities, it’s easy to see why commercial air conditioning systems should be serviced by experienced technicians. If your air conditioning isn’t functioning as it should, contact Custom Aire for the expertise and customer service that have made them Bensalem PA’s trusted source for commercial HVAC service, repairs and installation.